Meet the Board

Carmen Kew

Governor

Carmen is a third-generation professional musician; she has performed and taught as a vocalist, harpist, and violinist. She founded The Enchanted Harp in Puyallup, Washington, USA, a business specialising in harp-related retail. She was the Chairman of the Harpers’ Circle for the SeaFle and Tacoma Highland Games Associations, and Treasurer for the SeaFle Chapter of the American Harp Society. In Tennessee, she was a historic demonstrator at The Ramsay House Plantation and The Governor John Sevier Homestead. Carmen received the Detlef Mühlberger Prize (2011), the History Department Prize, and the Dissertation Prize (2013) at Oxford Brookes University. She married her (English) childhood sweetheart and is now a British citizen.

In England, she has been an Education Officer and Storyteller at Cogges Manor Farm and a storyteller at Yate Museum; a featured soloist at Kentwell Manor, Suffolk, and at churches in Oxfordshire and Sussex. She served as the Concert Mistress of the Downland Ensemble. She earned an MA in Creative Writing from the Open University in 2022. Carmen is currently pursing an MA in Vocal Performance at Chichester University; she continues to teach private music lessons. Carmen sews, spins, knits, crochets, reads, writes, tends roses, and collects cats.

Mayflower ancestors: Alden, Bradford, Brewster, Hopkins, Howland, Mullins, Soule, Standish, and Tilley.

Contact: mayflower.smde.governor@gmail.com

William English, CBE

CDir, FIoD, CMgr, FCMI, FRGS and MSc

William is a British citizen (DoB 1962), Chartered Director and Fellow with the Institute of Directors (CDir; FIoD); a Chartered Manager (CMgr) and Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute (FCMI); a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (FRGS) and Master of Science (MSc) in Defence and Strategic Studies, University of Madras. English is currently an Independent Distance Learner, studying Post Graduate Diploma and Master’s Degree in Brewing and Distilling at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh. English had a 36-year career serving across four continents in the British Army. English worked at senior levels in cross-government policy development, strategic and operational planning and delivery. He brings considerable experience from working within multi-national organisations, including NATO, the European Union and the United Nations. English is the Owner and Chair of his family Estate in Kent; Chair (Elect) Independent Non-Executive Director (INED) of an Import/Export sustainable produce company and NED for the US Delano Kindred Board with the Europe brief. English has lead responsibility for governance and internal unity in purpose. English is married and has three adult children.

Mayflower ancestor: Richard Warren.

Contact: mayflower.smde.depgov@gmail.com

Deputy Governor

I never realised I had Mayflower heritage until I began seriously to work on my family history after my husband John and I had retired to Dorset. I keep extremely busy with my activities and hobbies and apart from family history I enjoy art, running (slowly!), horses and singing. I have been on our WI committee for many years, am part of the local parkrun core team, and have recently joined a choir.

I would like to say a heartfelt thanks to my family for helping me get this website project off the ground. You are all absolutely amazing humans, and I love you.

Mayflower ancestors: Allerton, Alden, Billington, Cooke, Hopkins, Mullins, Priest, Soule, Standish, Warren.

Contact: mayflower.smde.secretary@gmail.com

Donna Heys

Secretary

Greg Geissler

Treasurer

I graduated from Maine Maritime Academy after 3 years in the US Army. I began sailing in the merchant marine, mostly on oil tankers, until the birth of my 3rd child when being away for months was too long. I then found work offshore in the North Sea on Floating Storage Production and Offloading (FPSO) so was only away for weeks and carried on doing this for the next 25 years, finishing up in west Africa off the coast of Equatorial Guinea.

A couple years ago my wife and I decided to change our lifestyle while we could and took semi-retirement. The last couple of summers we worked as Campsite Wardens in the Lake District and in the winter I become Santa Claus for the season at a few venues. In between we will work casual jobs that we enjoy, like being an extra on tv shows. We currently live in Hexham, Northumberland but are keen to downsize and move further south near Newark to be close to our son, whose wife will be giving us our first grandchild later this year. Our other son lives Austin, TX and our daughter is in Newcastle Upon Tyne.

My Mayflower journey began when my British wife’s father passed away. She began digging into her family history wishing, like many of us, that she had asked a lot more questions of relatives before they passed on. She would be searching Ancestry nightly and one night asked to change her subscription to world wide and I would do mine as well. Once I began it wasn’t too long before I found the Mayflower connection, which is something my mother always suspected. However, she never proved or followed up on it so was pleased to have it confirmed before she passed away.

Mayflower ancestor: White

Contact: mayflower.smde.treasurer@gmail.com

Julie Wilson

Historian

Are you curious about your past, as Mayflower Society members are? Joining the Mayflower Society is an opportunity to discover your family heritage going back 12-15 generations and often reveals unexpected connections to past historical events. The path to membership involves proving a long lineage which is challenging and time-consuming. As Historian I am here to provide guidance and support through the membership process, work with you as you piece together your lineage and locate the necessary documents for your application. I enjoy working through the genealogical puzzle and getting to know you along the way!

A native of Plymouth County, Massachusetts, my studies in Physics and employment in the computer industry took me from the US east coast to the west coast and to the UK. I’ve now resided in the Netherlands for 30 years. Hobbies: genealogy, flute, gardening. Languages: English, Dutch

Mayflower ancestors: Alden, Brewster, Brown, Doty, Howland, Mullins, Samson, Soule, Tilley

Contact: mayflower.smde.historian@gmail.com

Nancy Naro

I am a retired historian of Latin American History, having conducted research in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil where I was a university professor before moving to London in 1996.

I became involved with GSMD when asked if I would be interested in starting a chapter that would include GSMD members who were resident in Europe. The society chapter, Society of Mayflower Descendants in the UK and Europe was granted its charter in 2016 with twenty signatories who were residents in the UK, France, Portugal, Ireland and Italy, including enthusiastic GSMD members who were living Stateside.

Over the next few years, the fledgling society benefitted from the growing transatlantic interest in the Mayflower voyage of 1620 as private and governmental organisations in the US, the UK and the Netherlands organised glittering Four Hundred Year commemorative events. Many local sites in the US, UK and the Netherlands continue to attract visitors and Mayflower descendants to the locales, churches and museums that enrich and enliven the Mayflower experience.

Membership in the Society has expanded to 60 plus and the new website and zoom connections promise to broaden an already dynamic outreach agenda of lectures, gatherings and visits.

Contact: mayflower.smde.MAL@gmail.com

Member-at-Large